This week on the show is Angela aka Mama Pistachio. Angela is a self proclaimed nerd, demi-girl, and avid role player, has always been passionate about creating a safe space for diverse populations including LGBTQ+ and neurodivergent folks. Using an intersectional approach, Angela helps her clients understand how their lived experience, including sex and sexuality, affect all areas of their lives from the games they play to personal relationships to running their own businesses.

This week’s episode features Kari-Aidyn, a beloved member of The Transverse family that we lost in August of 2024 to heart disease complications.

Kari-Aidyn was a long time family member of The Transverse. She started out as a fan and supporter of The Transgender Show, then became a mod on the Twitch channel and Discord server, then became the producer for the Transverse News show. 

She was always kind, goofy, and offered to help whenever and wherever she could. 

She was incredibly loved by the community and the outpouring of sympathy and grateful messages was uplifting to see. All of us at The Transverse love you and miss you, Kari. 

We will ensure Kari's legacy lives on. We have started the Kari-Aidyn Transgender Scholarship Fund in her honor. Each year, we will select a transgender member (or members) in need from the community to receive this honor. 

Donate to the Kari-Aidyn Transgender Scholarship fund now by going to https://Patreon.com/TheTransverse and selecting one of the Kari-Aidyn Scholarship options. 

Check https://TheTransverse.net for information about the Kari-Aidyn Scholarship and to see past recipients. 

This week on the show is Kasen Truth, a 32 year old trans man who is currently living in Baltimore, Maryland with his wife. Originally born and raised in Houston, TX, he’s an advocate for social justice, 1/2 of renskaise on YouTube, photographer and a social worker.

Adrienne Janene Wehr is a multi-disciplinary artist, and story teller and the cisgender wife of former guest Jessika Janene. 

Included among Adrienne's myriad stories projects are: In the Company of Ghosts (a multi-disciplinary stage performance that she produced, co-created and co-performed), The Bread, My Sweet (an award winning indie film she produced/performed), Dog Bytes (award-winning web series she produced/performed). She was also the Associate Producer for the Emmy award-winning children’s TV show MISTER ROGERS’ NEIGHBORHOOD. She’s currently sharing tales from her new multi-media publication and podcast titled The Golden Boat.

Ryan Cassata (he/him) is an award-winning singer-songwriter, actor, performer, published writer, LGBTQ+ activist, and transgender motivational speaker. Ryan's music and story has been showcased on The Larry King Live Show, The Tyra Banks Show, CNN, GRAMMY.com, Rolling Stone, Billboard, The New York Times, Newsweek, and The NY Daily News. Ryan has been at the forefront of the transgender liberation movement since his early teens, appearing on the Larry King Live Show at 15 years old, the Tyra Banks Show at 17 years old, and speaking at schools and conferences to educate people on the importance of diversity and equality. He has a Masters of Art in Social Transformation (MAST) from the Pacific School of Religion and was honored with the prestigious 2023 Marcella Althaus-Reid Award for his efforts in queering theology and his work for the Transgender Liberation Movement.

Ruth E. Macy and Courtney Naliboff are the co-authors of Your Postpartum Body, the first book for people of all gender identities and childbirth experiences to fully address the phisical experience AFTER pregnancy. 

Both are passionate about education, inclusion, and allyship. They saw that the physical changes and challenges people face postpartum were not being discussed and people were often left on their own to just figure it all out. They also recognized that people who are not parents postpartum or who suffered loss during or post pregnancy are often left out of the conversation. So, they wrote this book to include not only all
gender identity experiences, but also the wide variety of pregnancy experiences, to create a book that is helpful, informative, and inclusive. 

As a Transition Mentor, Wendy Cole uses her life experiences to help clients face the significant life changes that come with gender transition. Since 2017, Wendy has guided others through this process. She believes in the mind’s powers; she practices mindfulness, shifting her beliefs and energy to support herself going forward, making profound changes in her life, health, and finding joy in being.

At age 67, Wendy changed her life with her transition. Beginning in January 2015 she focused internally: finally accepting who she really was, confronting fears, doubts, and anxieties that held her back for decades. She took the leap of faith to find freedom and joy in being herself. By July 2015, Wendy was living as a woman. She had her long-awaited surgery at NYU Medical in 2017. 

Wendy’s philosophy is that focusing inwardly to find freedom and joy will benefit the rest of your life. 

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Krystal is a woman of many talents. She is a dedicated Field Service Technician with a diverse educational background. She holds qualifications in Aircraft Maintenance, both in civilian and military fields, and graduated in the top 5 of her class from an LPN Nursing program. 

Currently, Krystal is expanding her horizons by studying Animation and Video Game Design in college. She is a proud parent of two teenagers and has been in a loving marriage for 14 years. 

This week on the show, Emily speaks with the authors of Gender Without Identity.

Ann Pellegrini and Avgi Saketopoulou are psychoanalysts who have focused their attention on gender and sexual identity. In their work, they have found the notion of a “core gender identity” or the “born this way” argument too simplistic and even problematic. All genders and sexualities, they argue, whether queer, straight, trans, nonbinary, or cis, are the result of complex psychic and social processes.

Their controversial take is that no one’s gender or sexuality is innate. 

Pellegrini and Saketopoulou assert that developmental events, even traumas, play an important role in all this. But to say that trauma may sometimes have a share in becoming trans or becoming queer does not mean trans or queer people are “broken.” Rather, they argue that trauma can function as an engine for transformation and growth.